Stranger
by Special FX
Summary: In the middle of a mission, deep in uninhabited lands that were infested with nothing but the Grimm, Qrow runs into the most peculiar of sights. A perfectly well-preserved corpse.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue-**

* * *

Qrow took another long drink from his flask.

Two weeks out here in the wilds, tracking a lead on the Red Queen; and he hadn't found a goddamn thing. His supplies had finally run dry, and that was as good a signal as any to finally call it quits. Especially since he was almost out of alcohol; food, he could go without, but liquor?

Now that was a whole different story.

Sliding his flask back into his shirt pocket, he fumbled about his pack for a moment, before finally pulling out a worn out compass and a crumpled up map. Normally, he'd prefer to rely on the use of his scroll rather than some old antique junk like this, but the CCT's signal didn't reach this far out into the Grimm lands, so he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. After a good couple of minutes of trying to figure out where in the hell he was, Qrow tossed the equipment back into his pack before he continued walking down the path towards the nearest village.

According to the map, the settlement was a good day's walk away. That was, if you stayed on the path anyway. From what he could make out from the map, Qrow could see that there was a quicker way there. The standard trail had one going all the way around a forest, rather than just straight through it. Which made sense, for safety reasons, since it was a lot easier to get ambushed by the Grimm deep within a forest of trees than it was out in the open prairie.

Of course, this meant that straying off the path this far out from the kingdoms was a rather treacherous idea, but it _had_ been over two weeks since he'd been able to go to a bar, and he was getting a bit antsy.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a tad bit irritated at his findings, or lack thereof, so he needed to vent out some of his frustrations anyway. And what better way to get rid of some stress than by killing a couple of unlucky Grimm that would undoubtedly come after him were he to stray off the path?

Stepping off the trail, he batted away a hanging tree branch as he made his way into the forest. He kept a hand on the handle of his weapon as he continued to knock away the occasional hanging branches that would get in his way. He'd take a sip here and there from his flask as he continued to trudge on before something strange caught his eye.

The dense amount of flora around him seemed to start to thin out. Trees that should've normally been there were now nothing more than blackened stumps. Bushes and other forms of plant life looked as if they were starting to decay and rot away. Curious as to the reasoning for this, Qrow found himself straying off from the forest into an empty clearing.

The deeper in he went, the more corrosion and deterioration there were. Even the grass underneath his boots had lost their green sheen and were now a dead yellow. Things only got stranger as he continued his walk deeper into the now dead meadow, a strong stench of rot and gangrene soon began take over his sense of smell. Qrow had dealt with death enough to know that whatever the source for this unruly stench was, it was probably long dead.

When he finally found the culprit for the terrible stench, the smell had gotten so strong he had to pinch his nostrils shut. The rotting carcass of some long dead animal, and from what he could make out of its remains, it almost looked like a Beowolf. A twisted, mutated version of one anyway, with a much more prominent coat of fur and set of claws.

Which brought up the question of just _what_ exactly he was looking at. It was a common known fact that the Grimm didn't leave behind corpses; there had never been a case in recorded history of a type of Grimm that left behind a body. Upon closer examination, Qrow could see that rotting carcass had numerous wounds throughout its body. Scratch marks, puncture wounds that belonged to a set of sharp teeth rather than a weapon, and other similar injuries that pointed towards the killer being another Grimm rather than a huntsman.

The paw prints on the ground nearby and the kicked up dirt indicated that a pack of Beowolves had passed by here recently. Whether or not they had been the ones responsible for killing this… Creature however, he was unsure of. The tracks continued on, leading deeper into the strange clearing and Qrow found himself staring.

Now having his curiosity further peaked, Qrow followed the tracks and continued his expedition deeper into the clearing.

As he trudged on, he was soon met with the most peculiar of sights. There, lying perched upon a decaying tree stump, was a figure that was distinctly humanoid in nature. As he stepped in closer and got a better look, he could make out the unmistakable feminine features of the person in question.

"A woman…?"

Slowly making his way closer, he made sure to make some noise with his footsteps, as to not startle the person from behind.

"Hey," Qrow called out, "What's a lady like you doing way out here in the wilds?"

No response.

Qrow briefly raised an eyebrow before he shrugged. Pulling out his flask, he took a sip as he made his way towards the woman, circling around until he stood in front of her. The first thing that he noticed was how pale she was, almost like a… Corpse.

"Well," Qrow muttered to himself, "At least now I know why you didn't respond."

The woman didn't respond because she was already _dead_. Her skin was deathly pale, her clothes were bloodstained, as well as old-fashioned, and yet in spite of that, she still had an almost cold-like beauty about her. Qrow would almost say that she looked peaceful, sitting there underneath the evening sun, were it not for the fact that seeing another young woman no longer in the world of the living only left a sour taste in his mouth.

It reminded him all too much of Summer.

Qrow didn't know who she was or how she died, and a corpse wasn't going to be giving him answers anytime soon. The two sheathed swords by her sides and the material of her clothing suggested that she could've been a huntress, but at this point, that was only speculation.

He brought a hand over his hair and rubbed it back.

Of course, it was only with his luck that a fruitless job would lead to him coming across a corpse in the middle of nowhere.

Huntsmen died on the job all the time; that was simply how it was. Thus, it was considered to be common courtesy for fellow huntsmen on the job to at the very least, identify who the deceased were and bring the news back to their respective kingdoms. That was why most huntsmen carried some form of identification with them at all times. Qrow wasn't sure if she was a huntsman or not, but there was only one way to find out.

With a sigh, he leaned forward and reached out towards her coat.

Only for a cold, pale hand to firmly grasp onto his forearm in retaliation. Qrow's eyes narrowed in response, as the woman's own eyes slowly opened, revealing dull grey irises.

" _A corpse… Should be left well alone."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1-**

 _ **Winter**_

* * *

Winter Schnee felt a small shiver run through her body.

The roaring winds outside of her airship could almost be felt even within the slightly warmer confines of the vehicle. The weather outside was not exactly ideal, but Special Operatives like herself always did take pride in their ability to execute their mission regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. They were the Atlas military's elite, and as such, it would simply not do for her to let something so small, like a little snowstorm deter her from completing her mission.

The mission was a simple one; the elimination of a growing number of Grimm around one of the towns near the border of Atlas's Northern Frontier. Normally, a basic job like this one was left to the more _automated_ members of the Atlas military, the Atlesian Knights to be precise. A good chunk of the Atlas military these days was made up of their robotic counterparts, and they did the job well enough.

Most of the time anyway.

Headquarters had lost contact with the Atlesian Knights that had been originally sent out on this mission a little over a week ago. As for the town itself, there haven't been any forms of communication between HQ and Wakefield for over a month now. Most of the higher-ups have already assumed that the village had to have been all but destroyed by now. The only reason a Special Operative was being sent out at this point was due to regulation.

The Atlas military couldn't be seen breaking regulation after all, the media would have a field day.

Some would've called it cruel, and Winter was inclined to agree with them. But at the same time, being a member of the Atlas military herself, she knew that they couldn't possibly be everywhere at once. When it came to small outposts like these way out on the border, most of the time they were left to fend for themselves. The Atlas military devoted most of their resources into protecting the capital and the areas around it, those that happened to be on the outskirts were simply deemed to be acceptable losses.

Changes had been promised by General Ironwood, but progress was still slow. The wealthy were not comfortable with the Atlas military spreading its forces too thin in order to offer better protection for the many smaller towns and outposts along the border. Nonetheless, in spite of the initial backlash, General Ironwood continued to press for changes, and that was one of the main reasons why she was on an airship to a border town.

It was why Winter respected the general so much.

As the airship began to make its descent, she took a brief look outside of the window. The snowstorm outside was raging on in full force. Visibility would be low, and the terrain would be almost hazardous. Winter could see why the Atlesian Knights would've struggled against the Grimm under these circumstances.

"Attention: Special Operative Schnee," Came the robotic voice of the airship's pilot, "We have arrived at our destination."

The hatch soon opened and she was greeted with an icy gust of wind. Winter flared her Aura out in response, as she jumped down from the hatch, landing knee-deep in a field of snow. Her Aura did a good job at keeping most of the cold at bay, although having to constantly keep her Aura up like this would get tiresome soon enough. Just because she was trained to deal with the cold didn't mean she enjoyed it.

The hatch behind her closed with a hiss, as the airship's engines slowly began to shut off. Winter could make out the rough outline of the town from her location, in spite of the low visibility due to the snowstorm. The lights coming from the town served as a good beacon as she began to trudge her way through the icy terrain.

The walk was a tedious one, as her boots kept sinking knee-deep into the snow with every step that she took. The roaring winds did their best in their attempt to send her flying back, but she persevered and marched on. It simply wouldn't do for a mere snowstorm to keep one of Atlas's elite from completing her mission after all.

It began to occur to her that something wasn't right when she arrived at the front gates of the town to see that the barricades at the entrance had been all but destroyed. The guard that should've been at the top of watchtower by the gate was distinctly not there either. Winter simply narrowed her eyes and kept a hand close to her saber as she began to navigate her way around the debris.

An investigation seemed to be the next order of the day for her.

The inside of the town did not seem to fare much better, as a good deal of the buildings appeared to be in ruin. A few streetlights still stood up, illuminating the path towards the town square. The complete lack of people left her wondering just what exactly had happened here. Shadows that looked eerily like Grimm appeared to dance along the dark, but she didn't pay them any mind. Winter Schnee was long gone from the days where small trifles like that would put fear into her heart.

She had been through more life and death situations in her short career thus far than she would've liked to count.

As she made her way into the heart of the town's square, what she saw gave her pause. A group of people were huddled together in a circle, standing right in the middle of the town square. The few streetlamps that were still up provided just enough light for Winter to see that there were four of them with their heads turned low, looking down at something by their feet. She didn't know what they were doing, but she had many questions and they most likely had the answers that she needed.

Walking over towards the group, she let out a small cough in order to grab their attention.

"Excuse me, I'm Special Operative Winter Schnee. Atlas military," She introduced herself, "I'd like to ask you all some questions."

The only response that she received was a low growl. As the people in front of her began to turn around, she very soon began to realize that something was _very_ wrong. Now that she was a lot closer, Winter was able to get a better look at the people in question, and what she saw was unnerving to say the least.

Their clothes were torn in many places and dried, frozen blood could be seen stained across the various injuries that raked their form. Their faces were a haunting sight, as their skin seemed to glow with a sickly yellow, and their eyes… Winter could only describe as cataractous in nature.

These people looked _sick_.

"Are you all feeling alright?" She asked, with a frown evident on her face.

The only response that Winter received was in the form of one of the men clumsily staggering forward, swiping out with a hand with claws far too long for even a Faunus to possess. She easily stepped out of the way before backing up, creating some space between them.

"Stop!" She demanded, "Why are you attacking me!?"

Another guttural growl was the only response as they all began to stagger forward with a frenzied look in their eyes. At this point, it was becoming quite clear to Winter that there was no reason to attempt to communicate with these people any longer. Whether it was due to some affliction or drug, these people were obviously not in the right state of mind.

She'd simply have to put them down with force then.

With a click of her tongue, she pulled out her saber from its sheath. When one of them got close enough to her, she swung her saber _hard_ , striking him in the back of the head with the blunt side of her blade. In an almost practiced motion, she dodged another strike and did the same thing to the other man, sending him flying towards the frozen ground. Within a matter of seconds, the entire group was now lying face down on the floor.

She didn't want to use force, but they didn't leave her with much of a choice.

As Winter was about to sheathe her saber, a low primal growl gave her pause. Turning her attention back towards the group of people she had just subdued, she could see that they had begun to clumsily push themselves back up. Winter frowned, she had used a good deal of strength in her blows, definitely enough to knock someone out for a while.

Although judging from how the group of four had begun to stumble towards her once more without any worse for wear, it seemed like she hadn't used enough.

* * *

How long had she been fighting?

Winter wasn't sure, but it felt like an eternity. Whatever it was that was causing these people to lose their sanity, it had apparently affected a good deal of the town, as she had run into a lot more individuals that were in similar frenzied states. As an elite huntress, they weren't too hard to deal with, but the problem was that they wouldn't stay down. Every single time Winter had used enough force to knock a normal person out, these people simply brushed off the blow like it was nothing.

Lethal force was definitely off the table, as they were still citizens of Atlas, not to mention that most of them were civilians.

In the end, Winter had simply resorted to running away. She had hoped that she would've found _someone_ that was still sane enough to let her know just what in the world was going on by now, but all the people she had seen thus far seemed to suffer from the very same ailment as the rest of them. It was a frustrating situation to be in as she felt quite useless.

Contacting HQ was out of the question, with how bad the snowstorm was still raging on, there was no way any communications were getting through. Winter couldn't help but let out a sigh as she slumped against the wall to catch her breath. She was hiding out in an alleyway, unsure of what to do in her current situation.

 _Her_ , an Atlas elite, a Special Operative hiding in some rundown alleyway like a scared little puppy.

The very thought itself _annoyed_ her to no end.

Retreating was a possibility, making her way back to her airship wouldn't be much of a problem. She could return back to HQ and let them know about the situation here in Wakefield. But that would take _time_ , and she wasn't sure if Wakefield would still be standing by then. With how the people were, it was a miracle that the Grimm hadn't all but destroyed the settlement by now.

Retreating would also mean failure, and Winter Schnee did _**not**_ fail.

A low growl signaled that her little break had come to an end. That was fine by her, she couldn't stand the thought of hiding away in a little alleyway for any longer anyway. Dashing out of the alleyway with a quickness that would've impressed even her General, Winter easily sped away from the townsfolk that had spotted her in the alley.

There had to be _someone_ in town that still had enough of their sanity to tell her just what exactly had transpired here.

And so she searched on. She looked through buildings, alleyways, rooftops, whatever places she thought that people might have been hiding in, she searched them. She had searched through a good half of the town only to come up with nothing. Any townsfolk that she had found displayed the very same frenzied aggression as the people from the town square.

As she stood perched on top of a rooftop in the northern part of the town, Winter could feel her frustration levels rising by the minute. There were few times in her life that she had been faced with a problem that she could not solve. She did _not_ want a routine Grimm elimination mission to be one of those times.

A loud howl in the nearby distance caught her attention, breaking her away from her thoughts.

Winter's eyes briefly narrowed at the direction of the howl before she leapt off the rooftop. The howl had come from a portion of the town that she yet to search. The first thought in her mind was the Grimm, and judging from the howl, a Beowolf specifically. With the state that the townsfolk were in, they might as well have been defenseless if a Grimm was inside of Wakefield's walls.

The source of the noise led her to an empty clearing, and there standing in the middle of the snow covered field was an Alpha Beowolf howling against the sky. Winter had slain her fair share of Alpha's before, but she had never seen an Alpha quite like the one in front of her. Its coat of fur was much more prominent and its claws were a great deal larger than normal.

The most striking detail however was the eyes, or to be more precise, the lack thereof.

Where there should've been the familiar red glow of the Grimm, there were simply empty sockets. The Alpha turned its attention towards her and Winter couldn't help but stare at those empty eye-sockets. It was as if she was staring into the face of a skeleton rather than a Grimm. It was a bit unnerving.

The Alpha howled into the storm once more before charging at her.

That was fine with her. She needed to vent out her frustrations anyway. She drew out her saber and held it out in front of her in a defensive position. In a predictable fashion, the Alpha simply went for a straight on assault which she easily side-stepped before driving her saber deep into its hind leg.

The Alpha roared out in pain, and she couldn't hide the surprise on her face when a torrent of blood gushed out, staining her clothes a dull red.

Pulling out her saber, Winter leaped backwards and took a surveying glance at her clothing. She had killed more Grimm in her life than she could've counted and never had she seen a Grimm bleed before. But now, right in front of her eyes, there was an Alpha that was now limping, as a torrent of blood continued to flow out from the incision she had made.

The Grimm viciously snarled at her before it charged her once more.

Its movement was a lot slower now because of its limp. Winter simply stepped to the side once again and repeated the same motion, piercing into its remaining hind leg with her weapon. Blood flowed out once again as the Alpha soon lost its balance and fell down into the snow. Winter simply walked over towards the wounded beast and finished the job, thrusting her saber straight through one its empty eye-sockets.

Blood leaked out from its mask, as if it were an actual living creature rather than a Grimm. Pulling out her saber, Winter simply waited for the inevitable. When it became apparent that the Grimm wasn't going to disappear, she couldn't help but furrow her brow. A Grimm that bled _and_ one that left behind a corpse?

That simply didn't make any sense.

 _Clap._

 _Clap._

Slowly turning her head towards the noise, Winter could see a man in the nearby distance clapping. As the man got closer, she could see that he wore a dark overcoat which could only be described as being old-fashioned. A similarly colored cap stood atop his head and a bandana covered most of his face, leaving only his dull golden eyes visible.

"I must say, that was a quite the display of swordsmanship that you demonstrated there."

His voice had a strange melodious tone to it.

 _Clap._

Winter's eyes narrowed.

"As a fellow hunter of beasts, I can't help but express my admiration for your skills."

 _Clap._

"There is a certain elegance in the way you hunt. It is almost as if—"

Winter didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence as she had rushed him quicker than he could blink, and pinned him against the wall of a nearby building. Her forearm had him pinned against the wall by the shoulder and her saber by his neck. He didn't try to struggle and simply stared at her with a curious glint in his eyes.

"Who are you?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing to slits, "Are you the one responsible for what happened to the town?"

"I can assure you that I am _not_ the one responsible," The man simply replied, "As for your first question, well I am all for exchanging pleasantries and introductions. Although I would like to suggest it be without having our weapons drawn, it is a lot more polite that way, wouldn't you say Miss?"

A sudden pressure against her abdomen caused her to take a quick glance down towards her stomach. The barrel of a small primitive looking pistol could be seen pressed against her stomach.

When had he managed to pull that out?

She could probably take a shot or two from that pistol from this range, but her Aura was already low enough from all of the fighting that she had been doing so far that it wouldn't be worth the risk. With a click of her tongue, she released her hold on the man and slowly removed her blade from his neck. She could feel the pistol move away from her abdomen in response.

Once they had both sheathed their weapons, she backed away and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well now, isn't that much better?" The man asked as he began to readjust his hat, "Now we can have a nice pleasant conversation."

"Who. Are. You." Winter grounded out, her patience wearing thin.

"Right, maybe another time then... As for my identity? Well, I am simply another hunter that hails from the city of Yharnam. You may call me Ephraim."

Ephraim gave a small bow.

"And might I have the pleasure of knowing your name Miss?"

"Winter Schnee, Special Operative. Atlas military," She recited out from memory, "Do you know what happened here? What caused the townspeople to go into this frenzied state?"

"Yes, I am afraid that the people of this town have been afflicted with the _Scourge of the Beast_ ," Ephraim replied with a sad look in his eyes, "I would love to go into the details with you, but I am afraid that our introductions are going to have to be cut short."

Winter frowned.

"And why is that?"

Ephraim simply tilted his head towards the southern part of the town.

Winter's eyes darted towards the direction that the man had alluded to and saw the outlines of a shadowy figure perched atop one of the rooftops of the taller buildings in town. Visibility was still low because of the still raging snowstorm, so Winter couldn't see much, but the outline was distinctly not humanoid in nature.

"It seems that the hunt is upon us."

Before Winter could even question what the man had meant by that, the creature _screamed_.

 _And then the sky seemed to rip apart._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2-**

 **Winter**

* * *

Her head _hurt_.

The memories were hazy, but she could still make out a city; an old and battered city that was illuminated by nothing but streaks of gleaming moonlight raining down from the night sky. Dark clouds hung overhead, casting a looming shadow onto the dirty city streets. And then there was the smell... No, the _stench_ of blood and death that hung around in every corner, in every nook and every cranny of the accursed place.

Winter could almost _feel_ the sticky sensation of blood drying in her hair.

She could almost _feel_ the predatory joy that came from the hunt. The raw emotions of the hunt and the _blood_ that came along with it. Those feelings, they were primitive, feral in nature even; and hidden underneath all of the death, all of the blood, all of the creatures of the night, were deep underground crevices and chasms that held knowledge of ancient mysteries and secrets.

Forbidden knowledge that was better left undiscovered by mere mortals—

 _A sudden sharp stinging sensation of pain raced across her face._

Winter blinked once, and just like that, the images were gone from her mind's eye. The desolate city and its blood red moon that hung in the sky were no more, replaced by ice and snow. The freezing winds of Atlas's Northern Frontier were unmistakable, that feeling of cold had been all but ingrained into her body from being raised in the icy continent after all.

Ever so slowly, she raised a hand towards her face, where the stinging sensation still lingered, anchoring her back into the waking world.

"Ah-hah! There we go! I thought that I had lost you for a moment there, Miss Schnee."

Winter exhaled, letting out a breath that she hadn't realized that she had been holding in. The stinging sensation on her face had now all but faded away due to the cold Atlas air. It was just too bad that the cold couldn't do the same with the current ringing in her head.

"Ephraim…" She slowly began, trying to keep her voice even. "What did I just see?"

Ephraim simply raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm sorry? I'm not quite sure what you're referring to Miss Schnee, but you should get your weapons ready. Our beastly friend over there doesn't seem too inclined to simply leave us be."

Their beastly _friend_ had then decided that it would be a good time to let out another ear-shattering roar. Winter grit her teeth and brought a hand towards her head. The ringing in her head wasn't getting much better, so the last thing that she needed right now was another fight with what looked like an oversized Ursa. Of course, with everything else in this mission having gone to _shit_ already, the beast had naturally decided right then and there to leap off its perch on the rooftop and start charging at them like an enraged bull. Winter's hand reached for her saber, slightly fumbling around for the weapon's hilt before quickly drawing it out in a familiar motion.

Her eyes momentarily trailed over towards her new _companion,_ curious as to whether or not he would be helping her with the Grimm.

She saw Ephraim's hand reach into the air, and that was when her vision blurred for a moment, just long enough to obscure whatever it was that he was doing with his hands. It was as if there was a tiny blind spot in her eye, casting a mysterious veil over his actions. One moment, there was a hazy blur, and then the next moment, Ephraim held a strange rusted dual-bladed sword in his hand.

Winter blinked, resisting the sudden urge to rub at her eyes.

Had he just pulled a weapon out of thin air? Was that an illusion of some sort? A Semblance possibly? If it was, for what purpose did it serve? She wanted to question him about it, but with the Ursa still barreling straight towards them like the beast that it was, the questions would have to wait.

And then with an emphatic _crack,_ Ephraim snapped the double-edged sword in two, one hand now holding the longer piece and the other hand holding the shorter one.

She watched as the man rushed forward with a sudden burst of speed. The Ursa roared once again and swung a meaty paw towards his direction in response. Ephraim simply side-stepped out of the way before dashing forward to take a slash at the Ursa's hind leg. Once again to Winter's surprise, blood came spluttering out from the wound.

It was just like with the strange Beowolf from before.

Normally, Grimm didn't bleed after all.

Winter continued to watch as Ephraim danced in and out of the Ursa's range, easily avoiding its attacks while quickly counter attacking at the same time, the tactics of a veteran huntsman that was used to fighting against larger Grimm. Whoever Ephraim was, Winter could tell that he was skilled _,_ perhaps even on the same level as some of her colleagues in Spec Ops. The display of agility and combat sense only added more to the growing list of questions in her head.

What was someone like that doing way out here in some obscure village in the frontier to begin with?

With a slight twirl of her wrist, she stabbed her saber into the ground. It was a little ritual of hers that she had developed to help with her concentration. As useful as her Semblance might have been, the difficulty when it came to controlling it usually did a good job of offsetting that usefulness. It had taken her a long time to get to the point where she was able to use her Semblance in combat effectively.

Nonetheless, if the man wanted to play the role of the vanguard, then she was fine with it. With the headache she was still sporting, she didn't fancy the thought of having to get into close quarters with an over-sized Ursa anyway. Flaring her Aura, a large glyph began to spin in the snow beneath her. It started off slow, but as she poured more and more Aura into it, the glyph began to accelerate faster and faster.

And then, as if the dam had finally been broken, the glyph activated and a flock of white Nevermore came rushing out.

They flew straight past Ephraim towards the Ursa and began to peck away at the over-sized beast. The Ursa howled in frustration as it tried to swipe at the summons to little avail. With the Ursa being distracted, Ephraim rushed forward and stabbed his blade straight through the Grimm's skull, easily cutting through the bone and flesh.

The red glow in its eyes soon faded away as the beast finally fell to the ground. Ephraim slowly pulled out his sword and swung it once in the air, splattering away most of the wet blood on the blade into the snow in a practiced motion. Winter pulled her own saber out of the snow as well and sheathed it before she began to walk over towards the now dead Ursa.

Just like with the Beowolf, the corpse of this particular Grimm remained intact, not fading away like most Grimm.

How very strange.

"That was most impressive, Miss Schnee." Ephraim eventually said, as he snapped his two swords back together. "Are you a practitioner of the arcane arts as well?"

Winter blinked in bewilderment.

"What…? _Arcane arts_? What are you…? No, never mind that for now." Winter just shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "What I want to know right now is just how exactly you managed to pull a sword out of thin air. Was it a Semblance?"

"A Semblance?" Ephraim repeated in a curious tone, "What's that?"

Winter blinked once again. How did this man not know what a Semblance was?

"How could any huntsman not know what a Semblance is?" She muttered to herself, "If it wasn't a Semblance, then what did you do earlier to get that sword?"

"Oh? Curious, are you?"

Although a dark bandanna covered over most of his face, she couldn't help but imagine a smug grin hidden underneath it. For some odd reason or another, she just couldn't quite shake the feeling the man gave off that reminded her all too much of a certain drunkard. Perhaps it was in his tone of voice, or something else entirely, but whatever it was, it was already starting to annoy her.

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be asking." Winter grounded out, "Now, are you going to answer my question? Or perhaps you would rather wait until we get attacked by more Grimm?"

"Grimm?" The man questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Is that what your people have taken to calling these beasts?"

"How can you not know what—" Winter paused mid-sentence and narrowed her eyes. "Stop trying to change the subject. Are you going to answer the question or not?"

Ephraim put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Alright alright, no need to get so frosty about it. It's quite simple really, let me demonstrate." Ephraim's hand reached into the air, and once again, it was as if her very vision had simply lost focus in that one tiny spot. "Hmm… Now where did I put those vials? Ah ha!"

And then, just like before, when he pulled his hand back, her vision returned. Winter had actually tried to blink a couple times just to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. This time, rather than a weapon, it was a small vial that he pulled out, one that was filled to the brim with some kind of red liquid that looked eerily familiar to that of blood. He held it in front of her, shaking it ever so slightly as the red liquid inside bounced around like the waves of the ocean.

"It's kind of cheating, but I keep all my equipment stashed away in the _Dream_." Ephraim said with a chuckle. "And then I just take them out whenever I need them."

"You… Keep them in a dream." She repeated incredulously, "And then just pull them out of thin air whenever you need them…"

Ephraim simply nodded his head in response as if it were the most routine thing in the world.

"Is that strange?"

"I… You know what? I'm not even going to try anymore." Winter muttered to herself as she shook her head. "This is beyond my rank and pay-grade. As soon as the connection returns on my scroll, I'm calling HQ and letting them deal with you."

She had dealt with enough mysteries for one day.

* * *

It took some time, but the snowstorm eventually subsided long enough for Winter to contact headquarters.

Atlas forces had arrived in full force not too long after. It was simply a testament to their military might, that they had been able to deploy forces way out here in the frontier as quickly as they had. A quarantine zone was soon set up around the town as more and more Atlas personal began to fly in by the hour.

Ephraim of course, had been detained by Atlas officials for questioning.

Winter could tell that he wasn't exactly happy about it, but he didn't voice it out loud and had instead merely complied with the Atlas officers at the time. She felt a little bad about it, as the man _had_ helped her out against the strange Grimm. The General himself had made the order however, and she was definitely _not_ going to go against direct orders from General Ironwood.

"Hey Schnee." A familiar voice greeted, "You doing alright?"

Silver Soleil.

The man was a special operative like herself, four years her senior. Winter had worked a couple of missions with him in the past, and she knew that he was a capable operative. They weren't friends per say, but they were at least on good enough terms with one another, acquaintances even.

"Soleil." She replied with a small nod, "A little tired, but I'll survive."

"Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you'll probably have to be doing some more OT tonight." The older man began, "General Ironwood requested to see you in his office. Something to do with our new 'guest' I'm guessing."

She bit back a sigh.

"I see. I'll be there right away."

Winter gave a crisp salute before she marched away towards their flagship.

General Ironwood's airship stood on the outskirts of the town, among a myriad of other Atlas ships. The vehicle itself dwarfed over even the tallest buildings of the town. As she made her way across the snow, passing by a variety of Atlas personal all running about with their own business to take care of, she began to wonder just what exactly the General had wanted to see her about.

Winter had already given her report during her debriefing, so the General already had her account on what had occurred during the mission.

Two Atlesian androids stood guard outside of the General's office. They were from the Atlesian Knight line of androids and were the newest 200 models. As she approached, the Atlesian Knight's stood aside and allowed her entry. Winter wasn't exactly the biggest fan of all the automation, as she preferred working with people more so than machines, but she still couldn't deny their effectiveness.

The door soon slid open with a _hiss_ and she stepped inside.

General Ironwood sat at his desk, flanked by two Atlesian Knight's at his side. They stood at attention with their rifles strapped over their backs. What caught her eye however, was the man that was currently sitting across from the General. Ephraim sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression clearly hidden behind that piece of cloth that he always wore over his face.

"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter snapped to attention, "You wanted to see me?"

"At ease, Schnee." The General replied, "Please, take a seat."

Winter stiffly nodded before she took a seat on the empty chair next to Ephraim.

"You looked tired, Miss Schnee." Ephraim simply remarked, "Perhaps some tea to take off the edge?"

"I'm fine." Winter coolly replied as she shook her head at the offered cup. "Sir, what exactly is this about?"

The General folded his hands over the table.

"You've seen firsthand what happened in Wakefield, Schnee." Ironwood eventually stated, "I've gone over your report already and if I hadn't seen the citizens of Wakefield in person, I would've been hesitant to believe what you submitted."

Winter only nodded along, unsure of where the General was going with his spiel.

"Let me be frank, our medical personal have never seen anything like this before." The General continued on with a frown, "This _Plague_ … _The Scourge of the Beast_ , as Ephraim here kindly termed for us, is extremely dangerous and contagious."

"I would say that's an understatement, General." Ephraim interrupted, "As I've said before and I'll reiterate once again, aside from a swift death, there is no cure for the plague. Your scientists can waste all the time they want, but you must understand, that as a _Hunter_ , I have my own job to do."

"I'm not going to stand by and let you commit murder on innocent Atlas citizens, Ephraim." General Ironwood replied as he narrowed his eyes, "Believe me, with Atlas being on the forefront of technological advances, we _will_ find a cure for this… Disease"

Ephraim only sighed in response.

"I have seen an entire civilization fall because of the Plague, General. I will admit, your technology _is_ advanced, far beyond perhaps what even the greatest scholars from Yharnam could even hope to comprehend, but this is something that goes beyond the tinkerings of mere mortals." Ephraim said in a grim tone. "After all that I have told you, how can you expect me to believe that your scientists will be able to find a cure?"

The steel in the General's eyes could have plated warships.

"I'm afraid that you simply won't have a choice in the matter, Ephraim. If I have to have you arrested, I'll make it happen. I'm not going to let you essentially commit genocide on an entire town without at least giving our scientists a _chance_ to work on a cure."

If the atmosphere was tense before, Winter was sure that the air was now thick enough to be cut through by a knife.

"Very well then, General." The Hunter tersely said, breaking the silence. "I will respect your wishes. They are your people and these are your lands after all. I will stay my hand for now and allow your scientists to have their fun."

"I appreciate your understanding in the matter." General Ironwood replied, "The solution that you suggested… Something like as abhorred as _that_ should only be considered as a last result."

The Hunter said nothing, only nodding his head in response.

"Now, onto current matters. Schnee, I have a new a mission for you." Winter perked up at the General's words. "After some discussion, it's been decided that Ephraim will be staying in Atlas for a while and will be requiring an escort during his stay. I'd like for you to handle that matter."

Winter almost had to bite back another sigh.

There was no doubt in her mind that the General wanted someone he trusted to keep an eye on the man while he was going to be staying within the city's walls. And of course, out of all his operatives, he would choose her for the job because she was already familiar with Ephraim to begin with. Logically, there was nothing wrong with the General's decision and she would've done the same in his position.

It didn't mean that she had to like it however.

"Yes sir." She replied with a little more force than she had intended to.

"Well, Miss Schnee." Ephraim began in a cheery tone, "It appears that you and I are going to be working together for a little bit longer."

Of course it was going to be her job to watch over the crazy one.

* * *

Ephraim was _strange_. He was eccentric, and perhaps just a bit unhinged.

There was nothing wrong with traits like those in itself. Huntsmen that had been in the field for a while all had their own ways to cope with the never ending violence, certain odd mannerisms that made them tick. What made Ephraim strange was that the man seemed to act like he was from a completely different world altogether. With the way he acted, it was if he had never seen an airship or an android before.

Even something as simple as her scroll had drawn his full attention.

And then there was also the most _annoying_ habit that he had of simply running off without letting even her know. Winter knew full well that the man was in the very same room as her when the General had given her the order to be his escort. At this point, she was almost certain that he was doing it on purpose, whether it was running off to badger the engineers with countless questions regarding how an airship managed to fly, or something as _absurd_ as looking for androids to try and have a conversation with.

It was driving her absolutely _insane_. And this was only within the confines of their airship, she didn't even want to imagine how hard her babysitting job was going to get when they actually got back to Atlas and he had free reign to run all around the entire city.

"Ephraim!" Winter shouted out the name for the _third_ time, "Can you stop running off without letting me know where you're going?!"

"Ah, there you are Miss Schnee!" The man replied in an all too excited tone, "Tell me, what kind of arcane arts allows this strange device over here to display all of these different moving pictures?"

"There's no _arcane arts_ or any other forms of _magic_ involved." She grounded out, the words feeling foreign on her tongue, as she tried her damnedest to keep her temper in check. "It's just a television that's powered by Dust. The same as _everything_ _else_ in this ship."

If Winter heard the words _arcane arts_ again when it came to mundane everyday things like the microwave in the ship's kitchen, she was afraid that she might just lose it.

"Ah, so this Dust is at work again then?" Ephraim asked in wonder, "How _very_ curious. Miss Schnee, I _must_ get my hands on some of this Dust for research purposes."

Winter could already feel the beginnings of a headache.

"Look Ephraim, if I get you some Dust, would you just _please_ stop running off by yourself?"

She'd give him a whole damn warehouse full of Dust if it would just get him to sit still for one second.

"Ah, my apologies. I _can_ get a little too excited at times." Ephraim chuckled a bit as he bowed his head. "Yharnam had its own wonders to explore, but I find the marvels of your people just as intriguing, if not more so."

There was that name again, _Yharnam_. Winter had done a quick search for any settlements that went by that name on her scroll earlier, out of simple curiosity, but her queries had come up empty as expected. She was sure that the General knew more, but it wasn't her place to ask. She was simply a soldier and her job was to follow orders, not ask _why_.

"Tell me Miss Schnee, what is the city of Atlas like?" Ephraim asked with a curious glint in those strange golden orbs of his, "Is it similar to Wakefield?"

She simply shook her head at that.

"No, not in the slightest. Though I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay in Atlas, with how much _fun_ you're having simply exploring the airship." She replied in a dry tone. "Atlas is the most technologically advanced city in the world after all."

"Truly? Now I'm equally as curious as I am excited."

"That's great and all Ephraim, but do try to reign in your excitement a bit when we land." Winter helpfully _suggested_ , "I wouldn't want you to wander off and get lost in a city as big as Atlas."

It was already proving to be a challenge in itself trying to keep an eye on him just on the airship, much less an entire city.

Evidently however, with how the man managed to slip away once again, right when she looked away for one brief second to salute a superior officer that walked by, her _suggestion_ had fallen on deaf ears. With a long sigh, she roamed around the ship until she found the man trying to strike up a casual conversation about the weather with one of the Atlesian Knight androids that was currently occupied with mopping the floor.

She felt one of her eyebrows twitch just a _tiny_ bit in response.

Winter was never one to doubt the General's orders, but she was starting to think that perhaps she wasn't the best operative for this mission.


End file.
